In John 17:4 Jesus, whilst praying to the Father, utters words similar to those he will soon shout in victory from the cross. Here we consider what it meant for the Father to be glorified by the Son and for the Son to be glorified by the Father.

Sermon Outline:

1. What are Some Common Beliefs About What Happens After We Die?

2. What does the Bible Say?

3. What does the Bible Teach About Hell?

4. What does the Bible Teach About Heaven?

5. How do we Avoid Hell and Go to Heaven?

We don't take any great pleasure in talking about it, but human beings live with the reality that we will die. For the believer, the Bible shows us that there is a way to die well - testifying to our faith in a God who offers life after death. As he faced his own death Jacob did exactly that.

Having considered previously why we sing the Psalms, here we consider how they ought to be sung; worship is always about our heart as well as our lips.

Jacob gathers his twelve sons together for the final time. In the midst of great blessing promised for them - especially Judah and Joseph - he also warns them of difficulties they will have to endure, some of their own making. In the midst of it all he urges them to look to the Lord, Yahweh, for salvation.

For most of church history the question of what the church should sing during corporate worship was not a question! Today, however, it is a much-debated one. Here we consider some of the reasons why our church sings only the Psalms of Scripture.

Hebrews 11:21 highlights Jacob's faith in the face of death as worthy of emulation. Before the end of his life Jacob calls his son, Joseph, and his grandsons to his bedside, testifying to the care and keeping of God in the past, present and future.

Church discipline is not a particularly popular subject and not very widely practised in the wider Christian world. Yet it is a crucially important principle, one that King Jesus expects His Church to uphold.

Joseph was the man God raised up for a time of crisis, providing for the needs of hungry nations. He was also the son God provided for aged Jacob to shepherd him toward the end of his life. Once more, Joseph is a picture for us of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christianity - and other major religions - are often dismissed in Western culture as being different versions of the same thing, one no better than another. Is that really an accurate assessment?